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ABBEVILLE GENERAL HOSPITAL
PATIENT RIGHTS: CARE IN SAFE SETTING
Tag No.: A0144
Based on observation, and interview the hospital failed to ensure the physical environment was maintained in a manner to assure an acceptable level of safety and quality for the patients admitted for acute inpatient psychiatric services by failing to ensure the patient's environment was free of ligature risks and safety hazards. This deficient practice had the potential to negatively impact the 16 patients on census. Findings:
Observation on 01/04/17 at 12:10 p.m. of the Behavioral Health unit revealed the following observations:
1) All of the patient rooms had metal frame hospital beds that contained metal loops that held the mattress in place on the frame that were a potential ligature risk.
2) All of the patient's room doors were secured with three hinges on each door that were separated widely enough to facilitate potential ligature risks.
3) All of the patient's room doors having door handles not installed to be ligature proof that provided an opportunity for strangulation.
4) All of the patient's inner bathroom doors were secured with three hinges on each door that were separated widely enough to facilitate potential ligature risks.
5) All of the patient's inner bathroom doors having door handles not installed to be ligature proof that provided an opportunity for strangulation.
6) All patient rooms contained wall mounted electrical outlets that were uncovered and presented a potential safety risk of electrocution to patients with psychiatric diagnoses.
7) There were wall mounted phones attached to the wall located at each end of the hall for patient use that were not secured and contained a removable short coiled cord from unit to handset device that posed as a safety risk for patients with psychiatric diagnoses.
Interview on 01/04/17 at 12:45 p.m. with S3RN/MGR confirmed the door hinges and door handles in the patient rooms were potential ligature and hazard risks. S3RN/MGR also confirmed the bed frames and the uncovered electrical outlets in the patient rooms were potential ligature and hazard risks.